Wyoming, early 1900s. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid are the leaders of a band of outlaws. After a train robbery goes wrong they find themselves on the run with a posse hard on their heels. Their solution - escape to Bolivia.

After settling his differences with a Japanese P.O.W. camp commander, a British Colonel co-operates to oversee his men's construction of a railway bridge for their captors, while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to destroy it.

Storyline

Butch and Sundance are the two leaders of the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Butch is all ideas, Sundance is all action and skill. The west is becoming civilized, and when Butch and Sundance rob a train once too often, a special posse begins trailing them no matter where they run. Over rocks, through towns, across rivers, the group is always just behind them. When they finally escape through sheer luck, Butch has another idea, "Let's go to Bolivia". Based on the exploits of the historical characters.Written by
John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

Did You Know?

Trivia

A scene that was cut had Cassidy, the Kid, and Etta in a Bolivian cinema and seeing a screen reenactment of their gang, depicting Butch and Sundance as ruthless killers gunned down by the law. As the two men watch incredulously, shouting at the screen that it didn't happen that way, Etta walks off to the station to catch the train that would begin her journey back to America. George Roy Hill thought that the scene was "a little heavy-handed and unnecessary." See more »

Goofs

In the opening sequence when Sundance shoots the gun belt off the card player, the film was cut to make the quick draw appear faster. You can see Butch Cassidy's image jump across the screen in the background. See more »

Quotes

Crazy Credits

The opening 20th Century-Fox logo is shown in sepia tone instead of the usual color scheme. See more »

Alternate Versions

During the 27-minute super posse chase, Butch and Sundance dismount and separate from their lone horse, start scaling rocky terrain to evade their pursuers. Butch asks, "What if they don't follow the horse?". Sundance: "Don't worry, Butch, you'll think of something." Originally Butch retorts, "That's a load off my mind." That line was kept in the movie right through the mid-'70s until it was broadcast on network TV (1976). For some reason it was omitted and has remained absent through every TV, cable, video, laserdisc and previous DVD release. It was reinstated back into the 2006 "Ultimate Collector's Edition" DVD and viewers are treated to it for the first time in 30 years. See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

User Reviews

One of the best and most-liked films of the 1960s, this is still a fun movie to watch today. When I saw this on DVD on a nice flat-screen set, I was amazed how good this looked. I had seen it several times before on VHS and hadn't realized how good this was photographed. I just discovered Conrad Hall was the cinematographer, which explains it. Few, if any, were better than him.

One remembers this western for several things: the two leads looking over their shoulders incredulous that their pursers seem to be always there; Paul Newman riding a bicycle to the tune of "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head," the beautiful Katharine Ross, the chemistry of Newman and Robert Redford as a two-man team, on and on. Those three lead actors, with the repartee between them, and the likability of each, make them fun to watch as they dominate this picture.

It's just solid entertainment and another example of good film-making that doesn't need a lot of R-rated material to make it successful. Photography-wise, the western scenery was great, there were some wonderful closeup shots and I really liked the tinted old-time footage inserted in here.

So, when you combine all the elements, it's no surprise this film won so many awards and endures so well.

49 of 60 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this